So, you want to turn a dining chair into your office chair. You want a comfortable arrangement to sit for extended hours. However, your dining chair has a few features to meet this objective. Hence, you might develop many health issues while using your dining chair for office purposes.
While working for extended hours, we will need a chair that can support your posture and weight. Your leather dining chair might look sophisticated, but it will cause neck and back pain if you sit on it for hours. There will not be arrangements to support your hand and foot, and you can expect the outcome. In brief, you will need a comfortable and sturdy chair to sit for extended hours, and an ergonomic chair will serve your purpose.
Can you turn a mid-century dining chair into an ergonomic chair? Which additions can make a difference? Yes, you can turn any dining chair into your office chair. You can focus on a few additions to improve the usability and comfort of your chair. A dining chair can be perfect for a short period of sitting. However, it will impact your overall productivity and cause bad body posture when you sit for long hours. Therefore, you can boost the performance of your dining chair and convert it into a functional chair with a few additions. Keep reading to know which changes can make a difference.
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How to Convert a Dining Chair Into a Comfortable and Functional Office Chair
Get the Desirable Height
You will have to adjust the height of your dining chair's seat. While doing so, you can ensure that your feet will touch the floor and the knees will bend at ninety degrees angle when you sit on the chair. The height of a modern dining chair will range from seventeen to nineteen inches. However, the height of office chairs will be between sixteen and twenty-one inches. You can adjust the height and length of your chair based on your height. For example, the height of your office chair should be 16.2 inches when your height is five feet. When your height is 6ft. 2 inches, the height of your office chair needs to be 19.9 inches.
Decide on the height and then choose an appropriate way to raise it. You can add an artificial base to the bottom of your chair. You will have many options on those bases. All you need to do is to choose the right size. Also, you can add casters to increase the height naturally. Chair cushions are also effective for achieving the desired height. Consider any of these ways to raise the height of your dining chair. However, take the help of an experienced carpenter to reduce it when the height of your dining chair is more than your required height.
Add Comfort Elements
Now you have a structure to support your height. You can sit on your chair and feel the difference. You will get better support for long sitting hours. However, you can focus on a few other things to make your chair appealing and comfortable. Here are some elements that will help you with both benefits.
Lumbar Pillow
You can add a lumbar pillow when the objective is optimal comfort. Lumbar pillows offer enhanced comfort and address lower back pain. Consider this addition when you spend extended hours on your office chair. You will get the desired comfort and feel motivated to work for more hours. It will boost your productivity, and you can impress your seniors and colleagues.
In addition, a lumbar pillow will maximize support and solve musculoskeletal conditions by improving your posture. More importantly, lumbar pillows are flexible. You can add them without making structural adjustments. You can place it vertically across your dining chair to get support for the lower back.
Seat Cushion
You can upgrade your seat cushion if needed. You will find your chair uncomfortable after sitting for a long time with poor cushioning. Cushioning will play a determining role in overall comfort. You can upgrade the cushion when the dining chair has too thin and too firm cushioning. Also, you will have many options for cushions. You can add an extra layer to get maximum comfort and support for the middle part of your body. Find one with supportive features to stabilize your lower body and pelvis. Comfortable cushions will distribute your weight evenly, eliminate extra pressure, and prevent herniated discs, hip pain, and sciatica problems.
Related Reading: How To Keep Dining Chair Covers in place？
Armrest Pads
Next, you can focus on your arms. You can consider an armrest makeover with well-cushioned pads. You can add an external armest and support your upper body weight. As supported by reports, arms comprise ten per cent of your body weight. The comfort level will be less when you have no support for ten per cent of your body weight. Hence, you can add external armrests using plush material to make your dining table more functional and official. Find a suitable external armest based on the style and size of your dining chair.
Headrest
You can consider a headrest to reduce the tension in your arms, shoulders, and torso. These additions will support your upper neck and skull. As a result, you can get the correct posture and achieve overall comfort. You can add an external headrest to your dining chair to support your long hours of sitting positions. You will have many options with minimal adjustment requirements.
Footrest
Finally, add a footrest to rest your legs and get the desired comfort. It will support your legs, especially when your legs are short. You can add a cushioned footrest for the best comfort.
These are a few modifications to transform the look of your dining chair and make it a functional and comfortable office chair. Focus on the height and comfort levels to avoid back pain and similar issues. Currently, you will have many upgrade options to change the look and feel of your dining chair. Work with experts to get the best outcome. More importantly, you will not have to spend more on upgrades, but you will have to make the right choices.
